Lipstick Lunch with Lobstergirl
Written: Jun 04 '01
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Pros: Centrally located, inventive twists on classic lunch themes, varied menu, fresh food
Cons: Slightly pricey, some portions are small, poor bathroom location, very limited hours
The Bottom Line: Good food, decent service, and it's the cheapest Vongerichten restaurant.
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| matochak's Full Review: Lipstick Cafe |
I was as giddy as a neurotic middle aged school girl who worries about going bald. Lobstergirl, my favorite writer on http://www.epinions.com agreed to have lunch with me. That was enough of an excuse to go to the Lipstick Café, as far as I was concerned. I needed a special occasion to warrant a visit to this lunch-time Mecca, because it is not in my neighborhood (and everyone knows how much New Yorkers hate to leave their immediate -- 4 block radius -- vicinity), and it’s only open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, so a visit costs me some prime working hours.
Lobstergirl and I had discussed how we would recognize each other. I told her I look exactly the way I write and I’m plain looking with short brown hair and a strange walk akin to the loping gait of a self-conscious, eighth grade male goth-enthusiast who happens to be seven feet tall. She had told me to be on the lookout for the offspring of Tina Yothers, Michael J. Fox, and Assistant Director Skinner. I thought she was more of a Crystal Carrington/Detective Sergeant Arthur Dietrich lovechild, as she was not nearly deformed enough (not counting the left pinscher) as to be the product of broadcast-based incest.
We met at 11:45. Admittedly, it’s an early lunch, but the Lipstick Café gets packed, and I wanted to make sure we got a table, because they don’t take reservations. I realized while we were there that it would have been safe to meet as late as 12:15. Crowds are likely because the Lipstick Café is in the lobby of a busy office building (the Philip Johnson Lipstick Building) filled with people to whom a $20 lunch is business as usual. Also, this restaurant is one of the minor jewels in the Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten crown, and is therefore a way to sample his more basic offerings at a reasonable price. (Major jewels include one of the very few four-star restaurants in NYC, Jean-Georges, the French and Vietnamese-inspired Vong, the fresh and light Jojo, known for the creative and delicious use of savory vegetable juices and essences, and the hip, downtown, nouveau americane Mercer Kitchen.)
The restaurant is little more than tables and chairs, a hostess podium and a waiters station/counter stuck in a rose and plum marble building lobby, but the large plants and patio umbrellas give it a little bit of comfortable, informal ambiance. The bladderly-challenged should take note of the facilities. If you absolutely must visit the water closet here, don’t wait until the last minute. You will need a key from the hostess and an elevator ride to reach your fairly hard-to-find destination.
Once we were seated, Lobstergirl astutely noticed that the silverware was probably as heavy as you would get in a non-medieval-themed-restaurant setting. Her eyes told me that she may have eviscerated men with less sturdy utensils, so I quickly distracted her by explaining that the lipstick print on the glass was permanent -- a logo of sorts for the café -- and not a sign of careless washing. Hey, I didn’t want her to go all commando on me or the staff. I was hungry, and there’s nothing like a public disemboweling to delay one’s meal.
The menu made the meal choice a challenge, as there are many delicious sandwiches, quiches, soups and entrees. I’ve enjoyed the basil egg salad with asparagus on black bread with home made ketchup on a previous visit, and it is a tasty, satisfying and creative deviation from the tired classic. The quiches are small, but incredibly rich and creamy and probably every bit as fattening as they taste. Sandwiches and quiche are usually served with Terra Chips and mesclun salad in a light vinegar, oil and salt dressing that brings out the flavor of the greens. Though the menu changes seasonally, The Lipstick Café has an interesting variety of sandwiches that almost always includes a unique twist on chicken, turkey, tuna as well as other between-the-bread favorites, and will run you $9 to $12.
I had the BALT (bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato) on challah, and though the bacon was incredibly sparse (last year, there was significantly more meat on this sandwich), it was cooked crisply, which makes the small portion almost forgivable. The entrees, of pasta, chicken and the occasional lamb, which cost between $10 and $15 are much more filling than the aforementioned sandwiches and quiche.
Personally, I do carry a torch for the gallette of years gone by. Lipstick Café gallettes were pastry crust bases with toppings such as tomato and goat cheese, or my favorite, potatoes, rosemary and gorgonzola. Back in the mid-nineties, the gallette was enormous, a rectangle of about nine by four inches. I remember asking my waiter to wrap the remainder so I could eat it for dinner. A year or two later, the gallette got much smaller (though it was the same price, of course), and several years ago, it disappeared from the menu entirely. I deeply mourn the loss. It was the best thing on the menu.
Lobstergirl had the soup and half-sandwich combination. I don’t remember the kind of sandwich she had, but the soup was a spicy coconut chicken. She ate her food methodically, finishing one portion before she moved on to the next. I was impressed not only with her consistency, but with her impeccable table manners and witty conversation. She's proper, without being prohibitive; a modern Victorian.
Though we didn’t have any of the specialty beverages, the Lipstick Café does have some winners. The most notable is the pineapple/lemongrass/mint (non-alcoholic) cocktail. However, we did indulge in dessert. I had the crème brulee, which was delicious, but I’m not going to give the restaurant undue praise for it since it is an easy dessert to make well (except when I make it at home with jumbo eggs, most of which have twin yolks, thus throwing off my yolk-to-white ratio, but that’s really an Epinion unto itself). Lobstergirl had some sort of Vahlrona chocolate brownie thing that she seemed to enjoy. Both desserts were large and well-worth the approximate $7 price tag.
We were not rushed, the service was adequate, and the food was fresh and very good. However, if you are looking to experience the magic that is Starchef® Jean-George Vongerichten, you would be better off going to any of the “crown jewels” listed above. If you are looking to experience the magic that is Lobstergirl®, expect the unexpected. Totally disregard everything I have said here, because I doubt you will have the same experience I did. It wasn’t until days after our meeting that I was able to piece together my memories and fill in some of the unexplainable “blank” spots I have from our meeting. Lobstergirl is clearly a benevolent Svengali with a penchant for undetectable Jedi mind tricks, and is likely to be a master of disguise. She has aspirational hair, though her appearance is irrelevant. I'm sure it will be quite different tomorrow, and the next day. The face I saw during lunch was probably peeled off and discarded as soon as I turned my back. She is friendly, with an impenetrable psyche. She's Keyser Soze, Tyler Durden and Mary Tyler Moore; the girl next door, with an all-access pass key to NORAD.
And I got to have a Lipstick lunch with her.
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Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Good place for a casual, but nice business lunch. Portions are small, you may need dessert to feel full.
Best Suited For: Business
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Epinions.com ID:
matochak
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Member: The Chak
Location: NYC
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 41 members
About Me:
There is a lot of variation between brands of cottage cheese.
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